Resolution for 2009 - get that elusive silver dot. **What a surprise, more gremlins caused by pointl...
Resolution for 2009 - get that elusive silver dot. **What a surprise, more gremlins caused by pointless and irritating changes to site layout. Didn't see that one coming!**
Member since:23.02.2001
Reviews:254
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As brands of skincare products go, you don't get much bigger (or much more prestigious) than Clinique. Established in 1968, these are cosmetics so posh that they have to be sold by scarily immaculate women in clinical white outfits stationed on special counters in Boots and department stores rather than off the shelf like most brands - and they have price tags to match. Anybody who knows me may well be wondering what someone as cheap as me is doing with such top of the range toiletries. How exactly can I afford to indulge in the legendary "3 Step System" that Clinique purvey? The simple answer is that I can't…but I did find a bottle of their Clarifying Lotion 3 lurking around on ebay for a modest price (by Clinique standards) and decided to give it a try. After all, hadn't I read plenty of glowing reviews here saying how wonderful Clinique's products were?
Before I go on, let me first give a brief aside into the "3 Step System" for any of you poor souls who may be unfamiliar with it. The System (apparently created by "guiding dermatologists") aims to tailor-make a set of products to each person's specific skin
needs, by combining one cleansing product (step 1), one exfoliating product (step 2) and one moisturiser (step 3) according to your skin type. Time was you used to have to consult the scary ladies on the Clinique counter to find out your skin type and product prescription, but these days you can also do it for yourself on their website by using the "skin report" function (take a look at www.clinique.com/templates/user/skin_report.tmpl if you want to do one for yourself). Armed with this information and knowing which three products you need, you are then supposed to use them in combination (forsaking all other brands) twice a day, every day, ad infinitum.
This is great of you wish to entirely overhaul your skincare regime and have a lot of money to spend doing it, but at this point all I wanted was something to fit between washing and moisturising to exfoliate and improve the texture of my skin. I have long since found great products to cleanse and moisturise with, but the only good exfoliator/cleansing lotion I have come across was a Boots own-brand product that has long since been discontinued (don't you just hate it when they do that?). In the Clinique System, the product that fitted my needs was therefore a Step 2 product, technically called a "Clarifying Lotion". There are five different types of clarifying lotion offered by Clinique depending on skin type; a quick consultation with the handy skin report function on their website informed me that I needed lotion number 3, which promised to "de-flake and polish stronger and oilier skin, improving its appearance, texture and comfort". As far as I can tell this is just Clinique-speak for "it will exfoliate, reduce the oiliness and close larger pores". I paid £8 for my 200ml bottle on ebay (the same thing currently costs £14 in Boots) and I have been using it for around four months now, enough to give it a thorough testing.
Clarifying Lotion 3 is a pale pink liquid that arrives in a smart frosted plastic bottle with screw cap; the simplicity of the design gives it an undeniable air of sophistication and prestige. To use the lotion (is it me or does "lotion" imply something a lot thicker than such a watery solution?) you simply pour a small amount onto a cotton wool pad and sweep over your face twice a day after washing and before you apply your moisturiser. It has a faint smell that I find quite reminiscent of TCP, and quickly vanishes on your skin, leaving it feel drier (in the sense of it being less oily) and tighter. I would expect a product such as this to remove any lingering bits of dirt from my skin as similar products that I have used in the past have done - yet the cotton wool consistently leaves my face with no more dirt on it than before it was used. Either my washing technique has dramatically improved over the years, or this lotion is not doing half the things it claims to do. After four months, I would agree that it has made my oily bits less oily and has reduced some of my larger pores - and as a result I have been getting fewer spots and blackheads - but I certainly don't think that it "clarifies" or exfoliates my skin to any extent, and neither does it improve the comfort of my skin. I will accept that the impact may have been lessened by my using only one of the three Clinique steps that are recommended, but still the impact on my appearance has been pretty minor.
Disappointed that I had got so little from a product that was comparatively pricey by my standards, I decided to investigate just what I had spent my money on. Peering closely at the label on the bottom of my bottle of Clarifying Lotion Number 3, I find that it contains just three things - purified water, alcohol and the active ingredient of hamamelis virginiana. You will probably be more familiar with this last item under its common name of Witch Hazel. Witch Hazel is a very old remedy for many skin conditions as it is an astringent, antibacterial agent and an anti-inflammatory agent, which means that it reduces pores, tightens up skin and works to prevent and treat spots and blemishes. So, in fact, all my money had gone on was a very stylishly packaged Witch Hazel solution. Had I known that this was all the lotion was, then I could have been treating my oilier bits with an alternative: Boots do a bottle of Witch Hazel solution (also 200ml) for just £2.19 (and inform you of alternative applications such as the treatment of bruises with it, too). Oh, and a basic product such as this doesn't encourage you to buy overpriced soap and moisturiser to use alongside it, either - Witch Hazel is an effective treatment for these skin problems without needing such accompaniments.
So what is my overall opinion, then? Yes, Witch Hazel solution is a good way to treat oily skin, enlarged pores or spots and if you have these problems I would certainly recommend that you give it a try alongside a face wash product that suits you. However, I would not recommend that you use Clinique's Clarifying Lotion 3 - it is overpriced for what it contains, so all you are paying for is the posh brand name, and I personally don't think it matches up to the grand claims on the packaging. I will finish this bottle as I already have it, but I will not buy it again.
Not recommended.
www.clinique.com
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Clinique Clarifying Lotion 4 (CLQ6131) for Oily Skin Types. This lotion is the 'difference ... more
making' step of the 3 Step System. This lotion removes the daily build up that makes skin look dull and uneven and speeds up cell renewal. It works to unclog the...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: In Stock
Spend over £25 and get a free £25 cosmetics pack and free delivery. For very oily skin. ... more
Sweeps away surface dead skin cells. Skin appears smoother, softer, with more light-reflecting qualities. Allows more effective moisturisation. Makeup goes on more ...
Postage & Packaging: £1.95 Availability: 5 - 14 working days
Advantages: Helps my skin, doesn't contain harsh chemicals, doesn't leave my skin with that 'tight' feeling Disadvantages: Only comes in the 200ml size, quite pricey.
Dec 2nd, 2006
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